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Issue Archive

A handheld laser torch for welding and brazing metals enables in-field repairs where space and time are constrained. The fiber laser torch incorporates changing lenses to allow the operator to adjust the laser’s power output in real time. Applications include engine repair, medical device manufacturing, plastic mold and die restoration, and jewelry manufacturing and repair. Find out more here.

NASA announced the winners of the Software of the Year awards for 2016: Langley Research Center and Ames Research Center. TAP cockpit-based software helps pilots determine the most efficient flight paths to their destinations while en-route. Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) was developed by NASA Langley and Engility Corp. of Billerica, MA. TAP is cockpit-based software that helps pilots determine the most efficient flight paths to their destinations while they are en-route and flying among other aircraft in the airspace. The application then allows them to make traffic aware strategic aircrew requests (TASAR) to ask air traffic controllers for a route change.

Understanding the characteristics of a weather system is vital to predicting the path and severity of storms such as hurricanes and typhoons. The surface air pressure over the ocean is one of the key characteristics used in making those predictions. A new technology addresses gaps in the area of weather forecasting as a result of the inability to accurately detect atmospheric pressure above the ocean. Find out more HERE.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see next-generation manufacturing technologies in use that truly demonstrate “a significant leap forward,” as Ilan Levin, CEO of Stratasys stated. On display for the first time to the public at last month’s IMTS show in Chicago, the Stratasys Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrator and Infinite-Build 3D Demonstrator present a customer-centric approach to 3D printing and additive manufacturing.

NASA’s first asteroid sampling mission launched into space on September 8, beginning a journey that could revolutionize our understanding of the early solar system. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security- Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is designed to rendezvous with, study, and return a sample of the asteroid Bennu to Earth.

The Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor (SVGS) combines an autonomous rendezvous and docking sensor with an off-the-shelf smartphone to create a low-mass, low-cost sensor for small satellite and CubeSat applications. The SVGS images retroreflectors on the target vehicle using the smartphone camera, and processes the images to determine the range and orientation of the target vehicle. Although implemented on a Google Android smartphone, the sensor could be implemented on Apple iOS platforms. Find out more HERE.

A group of astronauts, engineers, and scientists ventured to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean this summer to prepare for future deep space missions and the journey to Mars. Isolating crew members at the bottom of the ocean simulates life and work for astronauts in microgravity environments like the International Space Station (ISS), or in spacecraft that will travel to asteroids and planets in the future.

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Question of the Week

This week's Question: In recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into space ventures. SpaceX, an advanced spacecraft manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, has completed more than 30 successful launches since 2006, delivered...